Final Fantasy Prelude
by Oniisan
Summary: The story of what happens before the original Final Fantasy.


Final Fantasy Prelude  
By: Mike Borrelli  
  
***  
  
A young sage walked politely down the main causeway   
of Coneria Castle toward the throne room. He was dressed as all   
sages were, in a red robe, tied off with a rope. As he made his   
way toward the doors at the end of the hall, he prepared what he   
was going to say to the king.  
  
As he approached the door, a guard spoke up. "The king has be awaiting you,   
Sage Lukahn."  
  
Lukahn slowly pushed open the large doors. The room was brightly lit; the king   
sitting upon his throne. Lukahn knelt down on one knee and bowed his head to the King.   
"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Your Majesty."  
  
The King smirked. "It was my pleasure." He paused a moment as he thought.   
"How long have we known each other, Lukahn?"  
  
"Almost fifteen years, sire," he said as he returned to an upright position, "Ever   
since I became a sage, in fact."  
  
The King smiled in remembrance. "Ah yes, I remember now. You desperately   
requested an audience with me to warn me of an impending disaster."  
  
Lukahn blushed as he was reminded of the incident. "I was young and excited.   
My ego was powered strongly by my youth."  
  
"One might say that someone in their mid thirties is hardly young," the king   
replied.  
  
"The older one becomes, the longer he recognizes himself as a youth."  
  
"Touch_!" The King stood and walked over to a nearby window. "Do you   
remember when we could romp through the forest and not worry about the rest of the   
world?"  
  
Lukahn joined the King by the window. "Yes, in fact. I remember climbing   
through the forest to, get away from everyone."  
  
"I seem to remember you being quite the ladies man, actually." Lukahn smiled   
again. "Ah, but you didn't come to reflect upon the past now."  
  
"No sire." He paused for a moment as if he was unsure if he was going to go   
through with expressing his next thought. When he spoke again, he did so quietly. "I   
would like to ask your Majesty's permission to join my colleagues in Crescent Lake."  
  
"I see," the King replied coolly, as if he expected it. "Who would take over your   
duties in Coneria?"  
  
"My pupil, Jerial. He is excellent, for his age. Much more disciplined than I   
was."  
  
The King nodded. "I've heard you speak highly of him in the past."  
  
Lukahn nodded. "I feel that he will fill my roll very well."  
  
The King turned and faced a simple table with a chessboard setup on it. "Is he an   
experienced chess player?" he asked very seriously, as if this quality was of vital   
importance.  
  
"I believe so," he replied quickly, "though he hasn't beat me."  
  
"Well, we cannot ask for miracles now, can we?" The two could not help but   
chuckle. When they stopped, the King spoke up again. "I had anticipated this day for   
some time. Of course you can join your colleagues at Crescent Lake."  
  
"Thank you, your Majesty." He bowed his head to the King.  
  
"Be sure to keep in contact with us." He paused for a moment. "And always   
remember your homeland."  
  
"I will your Majesty." He bowed again. "I will arrange transport then."  
  
The King interrupted Lukahn. "I will take care of that. After all of your years of   
service, and friendship, it's the least I can do."  
  
Lukahn smiled. "Thank you."  
  
The King nodded. "Just be sure to leave time for a final game of chess."  
  
"Of course sire." He paused. "Thank you for meeting with me."  
  
The King nodded again. "You are dismissed, unless there was something else?"  
  
"No, your Majesty." Lukahn bowed, and left the throne room.  
  
The King turned to look out the window again. He looked out over Coneria   
Forest toward the Aldi sea. A cloud passed in front of the sun and cast a shadow over the   
room. After a long moment he whispered out the window, "Good Luck."  
  
*** 400 Years in the past  
  
It was a clear, bright day; the sun's rays softly embraced the world in their   
warmth. A group of children were playing in an open field as a great ship passed lazily   
above them. They looked up, squinting to see the flag that would be flying upon the   
masts.  
  
The flag had a white field. A pair of olive branches twisted around each other in   
a double helix, and lay in an ellipse. Along the bottom of the loop were written the   
words, "Peace and Knowledge". It was easily recognizable as the flag of Lefein.  
  
The older children returned to their games, while the younger ones watched the   
ship fly toward their town and land in an open field at the outskirts.  
  
"I hear the king of Coneria is going to be coming to Elfland today," gossiped one   
of the boys.  
  
A girl, who was standing near him, quickly brushed off the comment. "Why   
would the king travel across the Aldi Sea?"  
  
"I hear he's brining a treasure to the Prince!" He looked around at the skeptical   
faces of his friends, backing down slightly saying, "Well, that's what I heard, at least."  
  
"Hey," another boy interrupted, "Do you know how to speak Lefein?"  
  
"Me," the boy asked, curious at the seeming randomness of the question.  
  
"Yes, you," he insisted.  
  
"A little," the young boy replied, getting more than slightly suspicious at the line   
of questioning.  
  
The boy started laughing. "Only nerds learn Lefein! It's so old!" the boy taunted.   
"No one will ever need to know how to speak it for real!"  
  
The others chuckled at the teasing, causing the boy receiving the undue grief to   
leave the group in favor of some other children who were getting ready to play a ball   
game.  
  
*** The Castle of Elfland  
  
A man in royal dress and a crown, accompanied by a guard stepped into a large   
meeting room. The two walked past an elf guard. Another elf, also in royal dress, stood   
and faced the approaching man. The guard accompanying the first man stopped at the   
door, and took a spot next to the other guard.  
  
The meeting room was large, and formally decorated. There was a stone   
fireplace featuring a mantle that displayed a large portrait of an obviously revered   
ancestral Elf. To either side of the fireplace, hung tapestries embroidered with the   
Elfland Royal Seal, and Crest.   
  
In the center of the room was a long wooden table, beautifully stained and   
finished, around which were ten chairs. Each chair was slightly different from the next.   
Though they were all carved from a hardwood, the backs each featured a different scene   
from the history of the kingdom.  
  
"Prince Elros, thank you for agreeing to meet with me," commented the first man   
as he bowed to the Elf royalty.  
  
"It was my pleasure, King Edward," replied the prince as he bowed. "Please, sit   
down."  
  
"Thank you." The two sat in the chairs. "Would you mind if we get straight to   
the main point of this meeting?"  
  
The prince looked a bit stunned. "No, of course not."  
  
"Thank you. I am very sorry, but there are matters in Coneria that I must attend   
to, and I would like to get back as soon as possible."  
  
"Oh. Is there anything that we might be able to help you with," the Elf Prince   
asked as he leaned slightly forward.  
  
"Thank you for your offer, but we have some measures in place. This relates   
directly to what I would like to ask." The King motioned for his guard companion to   
come over. The guard walked over, a small box to the king, and returned to his previous   
position.  
  
"We have been having some, issues, with bandits. We are taking a number of   
precautions to protect the citizens of the kingdom. To that end, we would like you to   
take this." He presented the box to the Elf Prince.  
  
He looked at the box. It was polished wood with the Royal Seal of Coneria   
carved into it. The Prince opened it. Inside lay a gold key on a bed of crimson felt. "The   
mystic key?" he asked as he examined it a moment before closing the box again.  
  
"We feel that having this key, that can unlock any door, in the kingdom with these   
problems will lead to problems. We felt that you would be the best individual to ask to   
keep it."  
  
The Elf Prince nodded. "We shall keep it safe." He motioned for the Elf guard to   
approach and handed him the box with the key. The guard returned to his post.  
  
"Thank you," replied the king.  
  
The prince began to ask, "Was there something more that you wish to discuss?"   
but a deafening explosion interrupted him. Almost immediately afterwards a guard burst   
through the doors, and into the meeting room.  
  
The King and Elf Prince stood simultaneously. The Elf Prince snapped, "What   
has happened?"  
  
"The airship," the guard exclaimed, his breath labored, "the airship has been   
destroyed!"  
  
"Show me!" cried the Prince as he marched toward the door.  
  
The King, Prince, and a number of guards walked swiftly through the castle and   
out the main gate. In the grass that separated the two main sections of town from each   
other lay a field of destruction.   
  
A spread pattern of splintered wood and cargo was all that was left of the airship.   
Many townspeople were digging through the ruble as quickly as they could in an attempt   
to find anyone who might still be alive. Bodies were being pulled out from under the   
wreckage and placed on stretchers.  
  
"What caused this? Did anyone see?" asked the Prince.  
  
"A dragon, your highness."  
  
"A dragon?" asked the Prince. He looked around, but didn't see the usual signs of   
a dragon attack.  
  
"Yes your Highness. It came from the north, blasted directly through the airship   
as it was taking off, and continued going south."  
  
"If this was a dragon," the King remarked, "it would be extremely powerful."  
  
"We shall find out if it is, or is not a dragon. In the meantime, however, we   
should begin with helping the survivors and repairing the damage."  
  
The Prince turned and walked back into the palace. The King paused for a   
moment and looked back at the wreckage in disbelief.  
  
***  
  
A woman was standing at the front of the cabin of the airship. She was dressed in   
a white robe.  
  
The cabin itself was of average size. On either side there were benches; those to   
the left were large enough for three, those to the right were for couples. The cabin was   
full of Lefeinish, who were easily identified by the robes they wore, and others.  
  
"Welcome aboard Lefeinish Airship Twenty!" the woman who was standing in   
the front of the ship said enthusiastically. "We will be traveling to Pravoka and   
continuing on to Lefein. We expect to land in Lefein this evening."  
  
The ship was flying quickly over the mountains heading, roughly, due north. On   
the bridge of the craft, the captain was charting his course with the first officer while   
another man was at the wheel.  
  
"There were some reports of a strong storm to the south of Lefein this morning. I   
suggest we head out over the sea more and approach from the west." The captain   
demonstrated his selected path on the charts.  
  
The first officer nodded. "No reason to take any chances, though I've never heard   
of the floater ever failing." He paused, "I think we'd just have a bunch of really sick   
passengers."  
  
The captain chuckled. "The course change won't add much time to the trip at all."   
He looked over at the first officer, who nodded again in agreement. "Ok, we'll plot this   
course when we depart Pravoka."  
  
An hour passed without incident. Below the bridge the passengers were being   
fed. Suddenly, the helmsman cried out, "Captain!"  
  
The captain looked over toward the bow of the ship and out the glass of the   
bridge, teacup in hand. Staring back at him was a blue, five-headed dragon. In an instant   
the captain lept to his feet, dropping the cup on the deck where it shattered. "Hard to   
starboard!" he cried out to the helmsman. "Brace yourself!" he continued, as he turned   
toward the first officer.  
  
The ship banked hard to the right. In the cabin there were screams as people   
began to fall over onto one another and hit themselves on the benches, floor, and walls.  
  
The dragon watched as the ship attempted to avoid it. It spun itself around,   
whipping its tail through the back of the airship, shattering the ships tail.  
  
The ship snapped backwards as the creature's tail came down upon it. A dozen   
travelers, unable to hold on, cascaded out the rear of the ship and fell hundreds of feet   
into the mountains. The ship was filled with screams as those who managed to stay   
aboard were clamoring to find anything to grasp.  
  
On the bridge, the Captain, first officer, and helmsman were thrown against the   
back wall. The captain looked up to see five heads looking toward the ship. He turned   
himself around, and flung the door to the rest of the cabin open. He began to cry out for   
those aboard to abandon ship, but he never got a chance to get the words out.  
  
The dragon opened its mouths and a blast came out like a sonic boom. The blast   
wasn't that of fire or ice, but something intangible. It came with such speed and force   
that noone could have reacted before it tore what remained the ship apart. A shower of   
timber rained down on the land as the dragon turned and flew off.  
  
*** Sky Castle  
  
"You've all heard of the problems that have been happening recently, I'm sure." A   
Lefeinish man stood at the head of a table. Around the table were seated five warriors: a   
knight, and a master, a red, white, and black wizard. They were all dressed in white   
robes.  
  
The room looked very modern when compared to the rest of the world, but also   
more sterile. The walls were metallic, but not reflective. The table in the center had a   
polished black top.  
  
The five seated members nodded in reply.  
  
"This is undoubtedly Tiamat, the Fiend of the Wind. She has, in the last few days,   
destroyed every airship that has been flying. It is only a matter of time before she attacks   
Sky Castle itself."  
  
"But, the Orb of Wind...," the knight began.  
  
"Yes, if Tiamat is able to get the Wind Orb there is no telling how much power   
she would gain. But I did not call this meeting to prepare you to fight her, or to protect   
the Orb."  
  
The five looked stunned. "Why not?" asked the knight. One could see that he   
was acting as the leader of the five.  
  
"We can only assume that if Tiamat has broken, or otherwise released from the   
seal that was keeping the Fiends locked in the Temple of Fiends that the other three will   
begin to cause destruction. Lefein has been lucky thus far. It is likely that she is only   
going to attack Sky Castle, and spare our town. I cannot say the same for the Kraken,   
Kary, or Lich, if they were also to escape."  
  
The five nodded solemnly.  
  
"You are the strongest members of the Sky Warriors in each profession. We are   
trusting the fate of our people, and the world, to you." The man at the head of the table   
brought up a map of the world. "Take the last remaining airship and floater, and hide   
them. Bury the airship in the desert to the south of Crescent Lake, then hide the floater   
stone in the Ice Cave."  
  
"After we do that, head off to the Temple of Fiends and try to find who, or what,   
allowed Tiamat to escape?" asked the White mage.  
  
He turned to face her and nodded. "Exactly. Do whatever is necessary to prevent   
the rest of the Fiends from breaking free."  
  
"Understood," they replied.  
  
"Prepare yourselves for this. It is not likely that the Fiends freed themselves, so   
whoever did free them is most likely very powerful."  
  
"What will be done with the Orb of Wind?" asked the master.  
  
"We have developed a robot that is programmed to destroy anything that attempts   
to go down the corridor to the room with the altar and Orb. After this meeting, we will   
abandon Sky Castle until you return."  
  
A gasp echoed from the table.  
  
"Yes," he replied. "It's still being constructed, and yet it must be abandoned. We   
cannot risk having any more lives lost."  
  
"What will be done to be sure that this place is not forgotten?" asked the black   
mage.  
  
"There are a number of robots around the station, and in Mirage Tower. I will   
take the chime to open the tower, and I will send a robot out with the cube to activate the   
transporter that allows one to travel from the tower, to the station."  
  
"What happens if, we cannot stop whatever released Tiamat?" asked the red   
mage.  
  
"You will succeed, you must. However, I will pass this chime down to my   
children, and them to their children, until someone comes asking about it." He paused   
for a long moment. "Do any of you have any question or concerns?"  
  
The table remained silent. The man at the head of the table spoke again, "Then   
we should hurry. Take the airship and start on your journey. I will go back down the   
tower and take a robot with me. Good luck to you."  
  
The five stood and bowed to the sixth man. He left the room, leaving the five   
who would journey together alone.  
  
"We will succeed," said the knight in encouragement.   
  
The other four nodded. They were clearly ready to give it their all.  
  
"Let's head out!" he exclaimed. The others replied with equal exclamations of   
agreement.  
  
The five jogged out of the room and to the airship. It lifted off and began its   
decent to the ground, and began their journey to the south.  
  
In the Mirage Tower the man took the cube out of the teleporter and handed it to   
a robot. "Take this to the waterfall. Behind the falls there is a room that should be safe.   
Stay there."  
  
The robot replied, "Yes Doctor." It began to roll off.   
  
The doctor followed behind the robot as it made its way out of the tower. He   
sealed the doors behind him, and placed the chime in his pocket. After a final long look   
at the tower, and up into the sky, he turned and made his way back through the desert to   
return to Lefein and await the return of the Sky Warriors.  
  
**  
  
tsuzuku - To be continued  
  
  
  



End file.
